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Reaver
A Reaver is a large aerial creature of the Locust Horde used as a gunboat and a transport. Background The Reaver's body structure and function are very complex, especially in the matters of how it is able to fly. The Reaver's raptor-like head is small in comparison to its large body. The Reaver has a tough body with several tentacles in the back which probably act as the Reaver's flying limbs. There are also two small, hook-shaped limbs on the Reaver's "belly" that appear to be vestigial, though they may help the Reaver cling onto objects for easier landing. How the Reaver uses these tentacles to fly, however, is unknown. The tentacles are obviously extremely powerful, as seen in Act 1 (see trivia) when they caused several cars near a giant Emergence Hole to fall into it as they took off. Reavers serve as vehicles for other Locust (as stated before), and it has two seats for one pilot and one gunner. The gunner may be a standard Drone, like the pilot, or a Torque Bow wielding Theron Guard. Reavers have little or no armor, but they have very tough skin. This makes them hard to kill unless shot with an explosive weapon (ex. Torque Bow) or a Chain Gun. Shooting the pilot does not instantly kill the Reaver, so it's wise not to aim at them. The easiest way to kill one in Gears of War 2 is to get behind cover, when it raises it's dive out of the way. Now that it's "leg" is stuck simply run under it and open fire on it's exposed underbelly. Reaver Flying Physics NOTE: Below is merely a theory on this topic. It is all based on speculation and should be treated as such. A theory on how the Reavers are able to fly lie within the use of their tentacle-like feet. The feet seem to create a huge amount of force when they take off and are even capable of causing a group of vehicles to fall into an Emergence Hole (see trivia). The Reavers have also been seen hopping multiple times before actually taking off into the air. From this comes the theory that the Reavers use the strong propelling force of their tentacle-like legs to hop their way into the air. By pushing off the ground multiple times, the momentum of force will eventually cause the Reaver to be completely airborne for a certain amount of time. Another theory is that (if you look closely) the Reavers in the first cutscene they are properly introduced have what appears to been ink trails coming out behind them. They are similar to those of a Nemacyst, thus, it may be that the ink serves as a universal fuel for all flying beast (other than Kryll) the Locust control. A more plausible explanation of the Reaver's ability to fly is that the beasts contain hydrogen gasses within their bodies. The hydrogen gas is produced by their bodies, and stored in bladders. These bladders of lighter than air gas allow the large reavers to fly without wings. The hydrogen gas could also serve in propelling the creatures, perhaps via a jet like combustion system. This would explain the ink trail seen exiting their bodies while flying. Also, the presence of hydrogen gas also explains why a Reaver explodes when it dies. The player's weapon penetrates one of the hydrogen bladders and ignites it, thus causing the Reaver to be violently be blown apart. Game Strategies Situation There is only one part of the game where you actually have to fight Reavers and that is in the Act 5 chapter, Train Wreck. They are found coming at you in groups of two or three on a rooftop of one of the train cars with two Chain Guns. It should be noted that there is little cover on top of that train car. While there are a few crates in the middle of the rooftop, the Reavers can easily be maneuvered by their pilots to flank that cover point. Another detail to consider is that the Reaver's gunner is riding in the back of the Reaver. That means that the best firing angle to shoot at a Reaver is directly in front of its face. When using the Chain Guns to kill them, it is recommended to switch guns to get the best angle of fire. Also, on harder difficulties such as Insane, it is imperative that you slide back down the ladder inside the car where you started the checkpoint to regenerate health and ultimately avoid certain death. firing at a Reaver]] Casual and Hardcore The Chain Guns on the rooftop are exactly the same as the menacing Troikas except that they do not carry the frontal shields. On these difficulties, it is recommended that the player simply use these guns to drill and kill the oncoming Reavers. Keep an eye out for health, and switch guns if it's necessary. Also, make the Reavers with Theron Guards priority over the Reavers with Drones. Their Torque Bows are far more dangerous than the Drones' Hammerbursts and can obviously take you out a lot quicker. A couple of clear signs of a Theron's approach is his creepy whisper as well as the glowing tip of his loaded Torque Bow. Flying at such a speed, however, on top of an oncoming (not one that's flying at the same speed as the train) Reaver does seem to have a slight effect on the accuracy of the Theron, and he might miss occasionally. If he shoots the Chain Gun itself, however, you will receive critical damage, and you should be careful of that. difficulty after taking massive damage, fall back to the car below to regain health and avoid certain death.]] Insane On the Insane difficulty, however, defeating the Reavers with the Chain Guns is near impossible. The Reavers' gunners cause far too much damage for you to survive even killing the first two. A better strategy for combating the Reavers on Insane is to use the Torque Bow. Torque Bow rounds can be found next to the ladder and reappear when you slide back down. This weapon's explosive arrows can easily blow any Reaver out of the sky. It usually takes 1 or 2 arrows to kill them. This is the only time where nailing the Perfect Reload on the Torque Bow can really help, as it will increase the strength of the arrow and hopefully save an arrow. That is also why it might be helpful to save up on Torque Bow rounds before this fight. If you really want to save that round, finish the Reaver off with your other weapon. Another strategy is to use the Longshot Sniper Rifle to snipe the pilot or gunner of the Reaver, which will instantly kill the Reaver in the process. This strategy is better since you have twice as many Longshot rounds as you do Torque Bow arrows, but it does require more precision. This final strategy is the safest strategy for killing the Reavers, but it requires luck and you can only kill at most some of the Reavers (not all of them). Notice the crates on the center of the rooftop. When you hide behind them (the side facing against the oncoming Reavers), the Reavers will attempt to flank you and come around the sides so they can shoot you. As soon as they do that, slide back down the ladder and notice the two windows on opposite sides of the car. If the plan on the roof worked, and they were lured in close enough, you will be able to shoot the Reavers from these windows. It is an extremely safe firing position since the Reaver gunner is riding in the back, so he can't shoot you while you can shoot the Reaver. You cannot kill all of them like this (as stated before), so when the numbers are thinned, simply follow up and finish them off with one of the before stated strategies. Co-op Strategies For co-op, since both Chain Guns can be at used at the same time, the Chain Gun firing strategy can be used effectively on all difficulties. The use of both Chain Guns at the same time will double the rounds and virtually double the strength and effectiveness. This strategy will overwhelm the Reavers on Casual and will be quite sufficient for destroying them on Hardcore. It is still somewhat difficult on Insane and may take more than one try, but chances are a lot higher when you have both guns in use. The Reavers will obviously have a much harder time taking fire and opening fire on two separate targets at once, especially since even if one player is killed that he can still be revived by his partner. Gears of War 2 controlled Reaver being pursued by the Hydra. Note the blue lights on the Reaver's saddle and helmet.]] In Gears of War 2 Reavers combat capability has been greatly expanded. In addition to attacking from the sky, they also land and use their tentacles as legs, turing them into formidable combat walkers. While on the ground they can use a saddle-mounted rocket launcher in addition to their standard machine gun. They can also use melee attacks, such as lashing out with their tentacles; they may also be able to use a powerful bite attack due to the addition of large, sharp tusks protruding from their lower jaws. Reavers, like most of the enemies in Gears of War 2, can be chainsawed, though you must be directly underneath it in order to do so. It was also implied that the Reaver would be rideable, as Dom mentioned riding a Reaver in the E3 Demo. Also, in the recent ViDocs, during the brief action scenes between commentary, Marcus can be seen climbing into what appears to be a saddle, though this may be a Brumak, as those are also confirmed to be rideable. In a recent video preview on IGN.com, it was confirmed that Reavers would be rideable; Marcus was shown flying one. Also, while on the reaver, the video showed Marcus fighting the Hydra, confirming its presence in the game. Hydra A unique subspecies of the Reaver is a mysterious Hydra seen in the ending cutscene of the game. It's general body shape and ability to fly is similar to that of the regular Reaver. However, this species of Reaver has a helmet that makes its head similar to a rhinoceros beetle's and has what appears to be a large mounted weapon on top. This information was used to name it the 'Rhino Reaver', but it's true name was revealed in a boss fight in Gears 2. It may be an indication that its rider is of high status in the Locust military structure, as it is ridden by Skorge. Hydras appear to be extremely larger than the original Reaver, meaning it could be female. * The rhinoceros beetle shaped head is actually a helmet that can be shot away to reveal a smooth head as seen in a boss fight video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTcQUsX1rq0 Trivia * Reavers are actually seen very early in the game in the Act 1 chapter, Knock Knock. Simply walk to the giant Emergence Hole down the street from the location in front of the House of Sovereigns stairway and you will be told that there is a point of interest. While holding the 'Y' button, you will see a couple of Reavers will land and fly away in the distance. The resulting force also causes the cars near the hole to fall into it. * In a preview video on IGN.com, Reavers are confirmed to rideable in GoW 2. * Also revealed in the above-mentioned video is that, like many weapons, the Reaver has several lights that will become blue or red, in relation to the pilot's affiliation. These lights are located on the Reaver's saddle and helmet. Category:Locust Horde Category:Vehicles